Thinking of you

What are the most important aspects of your plans for PlayStation?

The most important thing is the consumer experience. We have lots of activities on multiple platforms and we really have to nail the consumer experience, to make sure it is smooth and fun and easy.

What are your general thoughts on Home and how do you think it will change the games industry?

Home is a broad challenge; no-one has done this type of experience before on any console. I am really looking forward to seeing how the people react to it and how people gather in Home to interact with each other. When it comes to the point that all our consumers start looking for what's new in Home, that will have significant impact on the whole industry in terms of how we define what a console is.

What game genres will help to draw new audiences into the PlayStation experience?

Because of PlayStation Store and the ability for us to deliver either large games on Blu-ray Disc, or smaller games for a lower price on PlayStation Network, we now have a variety of choices in terms of the investment we make. The kind of genres we weren't really looking to produce on disc - such as puzzle or simulation games, more niche concepts -we can now try out these concepts on PlayStation Network by choosing a small team and a small investment. As far as genres are concerned, we can try anything now that we might have been interested in previously but weren't so sure about. I'm really looking forward to small developers trying something really unique and this could create a new genre by itself.

Are there any particular genres that you're a fan of?

I'm a big fan of very easy games - I don't want to read manuals, or spend time learning about games. So the games we have produced so far on PSN, games such as flOw, are really easy - you just hold the controller and tilt it, you know what you're supposed to do. I'm a really big fan of these games that attract people who are not that knowledgeable about conventional types of games.

Are there any particular games coming up that you're looking forward to?

Each product we have released, we have taken one step more in terms of using the network capabilities of each console. For example, with SingStar people can now upload their performances and rate other people's performances - it's just fun to check out what's new on SingStar online, whether it's something really funny or strange. That's one step forward in terms of use of network technology.

The next title to move the network forward on PS3 is Buzz Quiz TV; we're preparing to create lots of new content as part of the channel concept, also allowing people to create their own quizzes, to be able to upload these for other people's enjoyment.

So each game we release, we are testing new features and so far we are getting very good reactions, but LittleBigPlanet is a big step forward in terms of the kind of things that consumers will be able to do with the tools that come with the game; the ability for people to publish the content they create for other people's enjoyment. So that's what I'm really excited to see, what lots of creative people will be able to do with the tools available for LittleBigPlanet.

In terms of PSN, there are lots of unique concepts coming out. In the last year, we released games such as Everyday Shooter, Pain, Bowling and more recently echochrome and there are a few surprises, unique games, coming up later this year.

On PSP, there is renewed enthusiasm around the platform, especially in Japan with the huge success of Monster Hunter. Many Japanese developers, including our own Japan Studio, are putting lots of effort into producing something really unique and interesting on the platform.

Japan Studio created Patapon, LocoRoco and echochrome - these guys are very creative and they are finding the smaller size of development team required for PSP, and even on PSN, to be a great opportunity. So that will produce more and more interesting games for the platform.

Can you expand on the future strategy for PSP software?

What we are focusing on is what is unique about PSP, what we can provide in terms of user experience and also functionality, such as the Wireless features; so for Monster Hunter, people are getting together in bars and restaurants in Japan and playing Monster Hunter - it's amazing how addictive it is, allowing you to meet up with your friends and play each other. That's a great example of a successful use of PSP features, and that can be used for any type of game. It's not so much about genres, but about focussing on what PSP offers as a platform, and using that within game development.

How important is user-generated content going to be over the next few years?

That will be hugely important. I won't say every game will have user-generated content, but every game creator will definitely look at the opportunity to provide tools and functionality for consumers to customise and share their creation with other consumers. Because it's just fun, there are so many creative things that people spend a lot of time and creative energy doing on the Internet, so why not do that with our games and franchises.

How has PlayStation Network affected the games market?

It's getting better and better, and the team in Japan creating the platform are really focusing on adding more features, and making the experience more seamless and easy. From our content standpoint, we are doing more unique things on the platform, such as allowing users to update their content in SingStar, or releasing very unique games such as Everyday Shooter, which was created by one person. More and more, publishers and developers will find how flexible it is to work on titles distributed on PSN, from the kind of genres they try, to size of development team, to pricing strategy. It's just a matter of time before more people realise just how flexible and how interesting the opportunities on PSN are.

In what ways can developers take advantage of Blu-ray Disc capability on PS3?

Developers inherently want to put more and more content on their games. Some games are moving from one layer 25GB Blu-ray Disc to dual layer, 50GB; games such as Metal Gear Solid, Resistance 2 - these games require 50GB capacity. So far, publishers have decided to provide the same content on PlayStation 3 and other consoles, but because it's in the nature of developers to want more, I am sure that more and more games will have additional content, something unique to PS3 because of the availability of space on Blu-ray.

Where do you see PSP and PS3 in the gaming landscape in a year's time?

Firstly, ideally both PSP and PS3 will be the choice of consumers in terms of how they spend their entertainment time, from playing games to watching videos to in some cases listening to music. I want more people to realise how it is great to connect to PlayStation Network, I really want to see 100% of consumers who have broadband or Wireless connections at home connecting and signing up to PSN, and realising how much better their game life can be by having disc-based content enhanced by additional download content and connectivity with other consumers via PlayStation Network. My ideal scenario is that everyone who has PSP or PS3 is always connected to the network.

Where do you see PlayStation fitting in as the games industry continues to evolve?

This is a really exciting time for the industry. Each of three platforms are contributing to the growth of the industry, and we are a major part of that in terms of PlayStation.  I am sure we will play an increasingly large role as more and more games developed on PS3 will look better, and more developers realise how great it is on network distribution titles, creating smaller but unique titles, and making use of user-generated content. That's already possible on the PlayStation platform, so I am sure the role we will play will continue to get bigger.

And finally...

We have lots of interesting projects we are working on and we have a hard time choosing which ones to pursue because we only have so many teams and resources. Yet, I work with the teams to ensure that whatever we do, we provide the best possible of experiences to consumers, so that people look forward to our titles.